Sammy and Ilna - oh I love you both! Sammy, thanks and hugs for your response to this one. And thanks for proofing after your long drive and while you were feeling icky, Ilna.

REAL MCRollers - Nonna hugs and Cammie kisses for all the undying support Thanks, as always.

Really Good Watermelon

HQ 3:55 p.m.

Gathering her post-case brief notes for the recently closed trafficking case she'd liaised on with the team, Catherine smiled. "Frank is sure he can get a conviction. Lea said to tell everyone again how pleased she is with how this one wrapped up."

"Good work, everybody." Steve nodded at the others and checked his watch. They'd been in the field most of the day and had returned just before the meeting with Catherine. "Let's call it a night."

"Thanks, boss, I think I'll grab some beach time." Kono grinned as she stood. "'Night, guys. Cath, I'll see you soon."

Chin stood as well and said, "I'm gonna see if Dylan is up for an earlier dinner. It's early enough that we can eat and take a ride to the motorcycle mall afterwards. There's a vintage bike display he's been wanting to see." He bid the others goodbye as he pulled out his phone to call Jenna.

"I'm gonna hit the head." Catherine grinned at Steve and Danny. "Again. Then I'm thinking maybe you can follow me and stop at the market. We're out of watermelon. We should get a couple."

Steve huffed a laugh, said, "Whatever you want," and watched her walk through the door. He still wore the smile incited by her dazzling one as he turned his eyes back to his partner.

"What's that look?" Danny waved a hand at his best friend, whose expression was one of amused astonishment.

"She ate a watermelon at breakfast."

"So? She likes watermelon."

He shook his head. "No, no, she ate a whole watermelon. A big one." He held his hands a foot apart. "In one sitting."

Danny laughed out loud.

"It was incredible, actually. I mean Catherine's always had a good appetite but it was a fifteen pound mellon. It had to be ten pounds of fruit." He ran a hand over his face as he chuckled. "I was worried she was gonna throw up, but she was perfectly fine. Except she said she's been peeing all day."

His partner was grinning. "When Grace was on the way, Rachel had me run into the city because she found a pie shop that made these little pork and beef pies she hadn't had since she left England. We couldn't find any in Jersey, so I figured, okay, if I had to drive in into Manhattan, I'd order a case to freeze." He shook his head at the memory. "I came home from work three days later and she was sitting at the kitchen table crying. And she wasn't a crier. Even first trimester," he mused with a smirk. "Yeller, hell yeah, but not really a crier. So here she was all upset. I don't mean sniffing with a few tears, upset. I mean full out 'lost-my-best-friend' sobbing. Because we ran out of pies."

Steve's brow knitted. He hated seeing Catherine cry. He was very happy the hormone driven tears had pretty much gone with the first trimester. "How many did she eat?"

"A case, my friend . An entire case. Twenty-four, five-inch pies. In three days. She'd had a couple for every meal and a few snacks." He shrugged. "And take my word for it, Rachel is a lot of things but a big eater isn't one of them. I almost swallowed my tongue trying not to laugh at the situation - I'd just come off a double and I was a little punchy - because I was afraid it'd make her cry more. And, I knew I'd be going back for more pies."

"Did you get a couple extra cases the next time?"

"Well, see, that would be the logical thing to do, my friend, now wouldn't it? But I was dealing with pregnancy cravings which …" he waved a hand in the direction Catherine had gone, "no offense to Cath or any expectant mom, because even they will tell you, cravings aren't always logical."

"Catherine hasn't had any really weird ones," Steve noted.

"Umm hmm." Danny smirked. "Don't jinx yourself. So anyway … I bought four cases. We only had the one fridge in the condo so I stored a case at Nonna's and one at my folks'."

Steve crossed his arms and waited for the punchline of his best friend's tale.

"So I'm a hero, I got my pregnant wife her savory pies, which I thought tasted like crap, by the way, and she's all smiles, so I'm all smiles and after eating maybe three pies, she decided she didn't like them anymore."

Steve couldn't hold back a laugh as Danny elaborated, "So I doled 'em out and Sal, Pop and I took a couple for lunch every few days for weeks. Weeks, Steve. And did I mention they tasted shitty? Cause, yeah." He clapped his partner's shoulder. "Watermelon seems pretty good by comparison." He chuckled. "Did you even get a slice?" he teased.

He shook his head. "I picked up a whole watermelon at Jirou's last night. I was cutting it up while she took Cammie out so we could have some with breakfast. When they came back, I said, 'Have some.' She tasted it and … she just kept going till it was gone."

Flashback

6:30 a.m.

Steve had just quartered the melon when Catherine walked onto the deck with Cammie in tow and kissed his cheek.

"Good walk?"

"Yeah. A family about two blocks up adopted a ten month old puppy. She and Cammie hit it right off. You made a new friend, didn't you, pretty girl?" she asked as Cammie wagged her whole back end and greeted Steve like she hadn't seen him all day as opposed to an hour earlier when she huffed a wake up call to her humans.

He sliced a tiny piece of watermelon for the dog, which she gulped happily and followed with a drink of freshly poured water. When she'd drunk her fill, she sat chin-on-paws with a sigh, content to hang with her people until they left for work.

"I was gonna have a couple of muffins and a fruit smoothie." It was Steve's turn to make breakfast. "I brought out the whole grain ones and the peanut butter for you. What else do feel like? I can heat up the frittata you made yesterday." He indicated with a chin tilt as he continued to cut the fruit. "Here, have some." He held out a slice of melon. "Are mango and papaya smoothies okay, Niblet?" he addressed her tummy.

Catherine nodded as she took a bite and hummed, "Hmmm, ohhh that's really good. Just the muffin and smoothie are perfect. Sit, eat."

When he went to add papaya to the smoothie, her hand on his arm stopped him. "On second thought, the watermelon and muffin are enough. I'll drink water. Just make a smoothie for yourself," she said. "Pass the bowl, please." She helped herself to another slice from the large bowl filled to the brim with watermelon and took a huge bite.

Steve smiled when when she ran a finger under her lip to catch the juice running down her chin and grabbed his offered napkin with a smirk as she took another bite.

Thirty five minutes later, the bowl was empty and Catherine had passed on the muffins. Steve had watched the disappearing watermelon, waving away her offer of a slice with his eyes widening as she polished off every last bite of fruit.

Her eyes danced as she grinned, knowing his thoughts. "What? It's really, really good watermelon."

He held a hand up in surrender. "I'm happy you enjoyed it. I've just never seen you quite that, um, voracious …"

Catherine licked her lips. "Yes, you have."

His grin was lascivious even as his eyes glinted with mischief. "Point taken. I meant for food."

Her brows rose and her tongue peeked out with her grin.

Steve chuckled as he leaned in and kissed her without another word, smiling at the taste of fresh melon on her lips.

Present

Danny was grinning at the image of his best friend watching Catherine devour piece after piece of melon.

"The whole watermelon," Steve repeated, amused. "I just … where'd she put it?" He ran a hand behind his neck and shook his head, affection clear on his face.

"My sister ate an entire cheesecake once. She was possessed with cheesecake. God, poor Sal was out looking for strawberry cheesecake at like 4 a.m. one morning. I was riding an overnight back then and my partner goes, 'Hey, isn't that your sister's husband?'

It was like two degrees outside and there's my brother in law coming out of the A&P with a ski jacket over his pajamas. Angela was too far along to drive, she couldn't fit behind the wheel. Francesca was born about three days later."

Seconds later, Catherine's return had them regarding her with smiles.

She stopped next to Steve and caught their expressions. She turned to Danny, having heard the last part of their conversation. "Told you about this morning, huh?"

Danny chuckled. "At least watermelon's healthy. Of course it is, look who I'm talking to." He waved a hand. "I was just saying Angela sucked down a whole cheesecake once like it was a Dunkin' Munchkin."

Catherine laughed, and Steve leaned down to kiss her temple. "You want more watermelon?"

She poked him gently. "Your daughter wants more watermelon, Commander."

His eyes lit as they did every time she referred to Niblet that way. "Well then, by all means, Lieutenant, lead the way."

She grinned. "Maybe we should get few."

Danny chuckled and exchanged a look with his best friend.

Wrapping his arm around Catherine's shoulders, Steve gave her a gentle squeeze. "Absolutely," he said before adding quietly, "and don't worry, Niblet, if you change your mind, I like watermelon just fine."

End - thanks for reading

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